Tokyo and Kyoto in 7 days

Old Tokyo first. Asakusa, Ueno and the electric town, all on foot and the Ginza line.

1. 08:30 1

   Senso-ji

   Sight

   Through the Kaminarimon gate and up Nakamise street before 10; the shops are quieter and the incense is lit.

   

   1.8 km · 20m walk to next

2. 10:00 2

   Tokyo Skytree

   Sight

   Book the Tembo Deck online to skip the counter queue. Clear winter mornings show Fuji.

   

   1.9 km · 25m walk to next

3. 12:30 3

   Daikokuya Tempura

   Food & drink

   Tendon since 1887. The queue is the price of admission.

   

   2.3 km · 15m transit to next

4. 14:30 4

   Tokyo National Museum

   Sight

   The Honkan alone is 90 minutes: swords, kimono, Buddhist sculpture. Closed Mondays.

   

   1.3 km · 10m walk to next

5. 17:00 5

   Ameya-Yokocho

   Food & drink

   Market street under the Yamanote tracks. Snack your way through.

   

   1.6 km · 15m walk to next

6. 19:00 6

   Akihabara

   Activity

   Evening neon. The retro game floors at Super Potato close at 20:00 on weekdays.

   

West side: the shrine forest, Harajuku, Shibuya at dusk, Shinjuku after dark.

1. 08:00 1

   Meiji Jingu

   Park & nature

   Gravel paths under the forest canopy, ten minutes from Harajuku station. Free.

   

   976 m · 12m walk to next

2. 09:30 2

   Takeshita Street

   Activity

   Crepes and crowds. Go early; by 11 it is shoulder to shoulder.

   

   1.3 km · 10m walk to next

3. 11:00 3

   Omotesando

   Sight

   Architecture walk: Prada, the mirrored Tokyu Plaza entrance, and the Nezu Museum garden at the far end.

   

   777 m · 15m walk to next

4. 12:30 4

   Harajuku Gyoza Lou

   Food & drink

   Cash only, the queue moves fast, order both steamed and fried.

   

   1.6 km · 10m transit to next

5. 14:30 5

   Shibuya Sky

   Sight

   Book the pre sunset slot weeks out. The crossing is right below.

   

   284 m · 8m walk to next

6. 17:00 6

   Shibuya Crossing

   Sight

   Watch one cycle from the Starbucks window, then walk it.

   

   4.8 km · 10m transit to next

7. 19:00 7

   Omoide Yokocho

   Food & drink

   Yakitori under the tracks. Then Golden Gai two streets over for a nightcap.

   

Market breakfast, a garden, teamLab, then two towers.

1. 08:00 1

   Tsukiji Outer Market

   Food & drink

   Tamagoyaki on a stick and a tuna bowl for breakfast. Most stalls wind down by 13:00.

   

   1.1 km · 12m walk to next

2. 10:00 2

   Hamarikyu Gardens

   Park & nature

   Edo era garden with skyscrapers behind it. Matcha at the teahouse on the pond.

   

   3.5 km · 25m transit to next

3. 11:30 3

   teamLab Planets

   Activity

   Timed entry, sells out. Wear shorts; you walk through water.

   

   4.4 km · 25m transit to next

4. 14:30 4

   Ginza

   Activity

   Itoya stationery over nine floors, then the Uniqlo flagship.

   

   3.0 km · 15m transit to next

5. 16:30 5

   Tokyo Tower

   Sight

   Cheaper and calmer than Skytree, and Skytree is in the view.

   

   1.9 km · 20m walk to next

6. 19:00 6

   Mori Art Museum

   Sight

   Museum plus Tokyo City View on one ticket, open until 22:00.

   

Shinkansen morning. Reserved seats on the right side (D and E) face Fuji.

1. 09:00 1

   Tokyo Station → Kyoto Station · Nozomi 21

   train

   Buy an ekiben at Gransta before boarding. Nozomi is not covered by the JR Pass; pay the supplement or take a Hikari.

   372 km to next

2. 11:15 2

   Arrive at Kyoto Station · Nozomi 21

   train

   2.9 km · 15m transit to next

3. 12:00 3

   Nishiki Market

   Food & drink

   Kyoto’s kitchen. Tako tamago, yuba, and the pickle stalls.

   

   2.8 km · 20m transit to next

4. 14:00 4

   Kiyomizu-dera

   Sight

   The wooden stage over the maples. Walk down through Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka after.

   

   1.5 km · 20m walk to next

5. 16:30 5

   Yasaka Shrine

   Sight

   Lanterns lit at dusk. Maruyama Park is behind it.

   

   400 m · 5m walk to next

6. 18:00 6

   Gion, Hanamikoji Street

   Food & drink

   Dinner on the lane, then a walk along the Shirakawa canal.

Inari at dawn, Zen gardens, then bamboo in the late light.

1. 07:00 1

   Fushimi Inari Taisha

   Sight

   Ten thousand gates. At 7 you share the lower loop with a few dozen people, by 9 with a few thousand. Yotsutsuji viewpoint is 45 minutes up.

   

   1.4 km · 15m walk to next

2. 10:00 2

   Tofuku-ji

   Sight

   The checkerboard moss garden by Shigemori Mirei. Quiet after Inari.

   

   4.3 km · 20m transit to next

3. 12:00 3

   Omen Udon, Shijo

   Food & drink

   Hand cut udon with a tray of vegetables. Near the river.

   

   2.9 km · 15m transit to next

4. 13:30 4

   Nijo Castle

   Sight

   Nightingale floors squeak on purpose. The audio guide is worth it.

   

   9.1 km · 35m transit to next

5. 15:30 5

   Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

   Park & nature

   Late afternoon light through the bamboo, then Tenryu-ji garden next door until 17:00.

   

   916 m · 12m walk to next

6. 18:00 6

   Togetsukyo Bridge

   Sight

   Cross at dusk. Cormorant fishing boats on the river in summer.

   

Gold, rocks, and the canal walk along the eastern hills.

1. 08:30 1

   Kinkaku-ji

   Sight

   The gold pavilion, morning sun behind you. Forty minutes is enough.

   

   1.5 km · 20m walk to next

2. 10:00 2

   Ryoan-ji

   Sight

   Fifteen rocks; you can never see all of them at once.

   

   5.6 km · 30m transit to next

3. 12:00 3

   Honke Owariya

   Food & drink

   Soba house since 1465. The layered tray is the order.

   

   4.9 km · 30m transit to next

4. 13:30 4

   Ginkaku-ji

   Sight

   The silver pavilion that was never silvered; the moss garden is the point.

   

   1.1 km · 25m walk to next

5. 15:00 5

   Philosopher’s Path

   Park & nature

   Canal side walk south, 2 km, cherry trees and small cafes.

   

   1.2 km · 20m walk to next

6. 17:00 6

   Nanzen-ji

   Sight

   A brick aqueduct in a Zen temple. Free grounds, open late light.

   

   2.9 km · 15m transit to next

7. 19:00 7

   Pontocho Alley

   Food & drink

   Riverside kawayuka dining platforms May to September.

   

Nara day trip, 45 minutes on the Kintetsu line, then a last night by the station.

1. 09:30 1

   Nara Park

   Park & nature

   The deer bow for crackers. Buy them from the park vendors; the deer know the difference.

   

   680 m · 10m walk to next

2. 11:00 2

   Todai-ji

   Sight

   The Great Buddha hall. Crawl through the pillar hole if you dare.

   

   1.7 km · 15m walk to next

3. 12:30 3

   Nakatanidou

   Food & drink

   Mochi pounding on the hour, then a warm yomogi mochi for 200 yen.

   

   2.3 km · 15m walk to next

4. 14:00 4

   Kasuga Taisha

   Sight

   Three thousand lanterns along the forest approach.

   

   2.2 km · 20m walk to next

5. 16:00 5

   Naramachi

   Activity

   Machiya lanes, sake breweries with tastings.

   

   45.5 km · 1h transit to next

6. 19:00 6

   Kyoto Tower

   Sight

   Last night view, then the ramen street on floor 10 of the station building.